JigSonic
by Xeno the Hedgehog
Summary: PLAY ME
1. the game begins

-Static-…rise and shine, readers…this is your wake up call…I've been waiting for a Sonic/Saw crossover, yet none of you seem willing to write one…Why not? Is it because you don't have the time…or do you truly dislike one or both?...-static-

* * *

**JigSonic**

Sonic woke up in a room he could swear he hadn't fallen asleep in. There was a foul odor in the air, and on top of that, it was so dark that he couldn't see an inch in front of his nose. Suddenly, the lights flickered on, practically blinding the blue blur. When his eyes finally adjusted to the brightness, he saw that he was in a room with metal walls and no visible exit. Oddly enough, there was a manhole cover in the floor on the opposite side of the room.

"What's going on here?" he wondered aloud. Then he saw the tape recorder. Oddly enough, the words "play me" were written on it. Not knowing what else to do, he quickly obliged. At first there was only static, then a raspy voice met Sonic's ears.

"Hello, Sonic…you don't know me, but I know you…you take pride in yourself for being the fastest thing on two legs…you claim to be a protector of all that is good, yet you scoff at the weaknesses of others…so now you shall face your own weakness…there is only one way out of your current situation…tell me Sonic, are you going to let yourself die today, or are you going to do something about it…make your choice, you have one hour…"

"Is this a joke?" Sonic shouted. Then he noticed a cro-bar lying next to the manhole. Curious, he took the bar and pried the cover open. Peering inside the hole, Sonic found himself staring at his own dim reflection in a pool of what he hoped was water…

* * *

Slowly regaining his senses, Knuckles found himself in what appeared to be an old warehouse. Sitting up, he discovered an odd looking device strapped around his waist. Sitting on the floor next to him was a silver tape recorder with the words "PLAY ME" written on it. Not knowing what else to do, he pressed the play button. 

"Rise and shine, Knuckles…you are the last of your race and have sworn to protect the Master Emerald from harm…but if you're so intent on protecting it, then why do you let it slip through your fingers so easily? A treasure hunter who can't protect his most valuable treasure, how sickening…let's see if you value your pitiful life as little as you seem to value that gem…the belt you're wearing is loaded with explosives…find the key before time runs out, or your body will match your temper…" When the tape ended, Knuckles was dumbfounded.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He shouted. Looking down, he noticed a padlock was clamped onto the belt buckle…

* * *

When she opened her eyes, Rouge had expected to see the walls of her apartment in Night Babylon. Instead, she was met with complete darkness, the smell of decay, and the pressure of a metal object clamped uncomfortably tightly onto her head. Intending to remove the object, she tried to lift her hands, only to discover that she was loosely bound to the chair in which she sat. Panicking, Rouge struggled against her bonds, until a previously unseen video monitor crackled to life next to her. When the static finally stopped, she found herself staring at the face of a particularly disturbing ventriloquist's puppet. Turning to her, it spoke in a garbled voice. 

"Hello rouge…day after day, you profit from the suffering of others around you…yet you never consider the consequences of your routine pilfering…so now we're going to play a little game…here's what happens if you lose…the device you're wearing is attached to your ears…if you don't remove it before the timer in the back runs out, then the most powerful of your five senses will be your downfall…Here, let me show you…" The picture then zoomed out to reveal the puppets arm as it gestured toward a table to the left. Sitting on the table, clamped onto a large cannonball, was the device that rouge was currently wearing. A few seconds later, it emitted a high-pitched ring, not unlike the sound of a smoke detector going off, followed by the cannonball violently splitting in two. As Rouge screamed, the picture cut back to the puppet. "There is only one key to remove the device…I won't tell you its exact location, but I will give you a hint…it's over your shoulder, where you never look…tell me Rouge, would you give up that which you treasure to save your own life?" It began to turn around as if to walk away, but suddenly looked back at her. "By the way…if you want to live, it would be in your best interest to make use of that scalpel on the ground…" Seconds later, the tape ended. Not wasting another second, Rouge struggled against her bonds until they broke. Standing up, she felt a slight tug on the back of her head, followed by the sound of a clock ticking. She had unwittingly started the timer when she broke the wire that connected it to the chair. She tried tugging the contraption off, but the clamps were practically digging into her skull, and when she tried to release them, her fingers found a padlock holding them shut. Before Rouge could panic any further, she felt a sharp pain in her left wing. Grasping the appendage, she felt a small object embedded under the skin of her wing membrane that should not have been there. Then she realized what the scalpel was for…

* * *

Amy did not know where she was or how she had gotten there. From what she could see, the only door in the room was locked and there were three large, odd-looking buttons on the opposite side of the room. The tape recorder didn't make things any better. 

"Awake already, Amy? To any passerby, you appear to be an innocent, respectable young woman…but by nightfall, you stalk a certain blue blur…are you truly his biggest fan? Or do you secretly want to hurt him? Let's find out…you may have noticed the three buttons on the far side of the room…each one can be activated with a single hit from your hammer…however, only one will open the door…choosing the wrong one may come as a shock to you…or it may reveal your true feelings about Sonic…ask yourself, Amy…would you take the life of someone you claim to care about if your own life depended on it? Choose wisely…" She had to choose whether to save herself or spare Sonic's life…

* * *

Shadow had just gotten out of another identity crisis, only to find himself with a new problem. For about an hour, he had been shouting the usual questions, with a few less-than-child-friendly words mixed in. 

"Where am I? How did I get here? Who's responsible for this?" When he saw the tape recorder, the words "play me" written on it. And press Play, he did.

"Shadow…this is your wakeup call…because of your missing memories, you frequently race across the map, looking for answers to your past…however, you never seem to show remorse over those who you've scarred along the way…so now I present you with a challenge…the only doorway leading out of this room is sealed by a special combination lock…the combination is written on the bottom of one of the glass bottles…but have a care, Shadow…every single one of those bottles is filled with Nitroglycerin…so let's see if the so called 'ultimate life-form' has a steady enough hand to prevent your ultimate doom…or we'll see if those bottles are as volatile as your temper…"

* * *

-Static-…I suppose you're wondering what happens next…it sometimes helps to consider every possible scenario…read and review…-static- 


	2. a matter of life and death

(Static)…After much consideration, I have decided their fate…Those of you who hope for a story without death are better off reading something else…(static)

* * *

**Jigsonic**

'There's no way I'm going in there,' thought Sonic as he stared at his dim reflection in the murky water. "I think I'd rather leave the old-fashioned way, time to go for a spin!" And with that, he jumped up and spun toward the wall, only to be met by a searing pain in his back upon impact with the metal, which was increased when he hit the floor. Reaching backward, Sonic found the reason for his failure to escape. "My spikes! You cut off my spikes! Eggman, if that's you I'm gonna shove one of your robots up your rotund—what?" There was an envelope lying on the ground. Crawling over to it, he picked it up and opened it. Inside, there were a key and a note.

_Sonic, the key in this envelope is your only chance of survival. There's a simple matter that I forgot to mention in the tape. There is a slow-acting poison coursing through your veins. The antidote is on the other side of your "racetrack". If you want to die, then just sit back and relax. If you value your pitiful life, better hold your breath. _

_Courtesy,_

And it was signed with the image of a piece from a Jigsaw puzzle. Sonic's eye twitched as he stared at the note in his hands.

"WHAT? IS THIS YOUR SICK IDEA OF A JOKE?" Glancing back toward the manhole, he mad his decision. "I can't believe I'm about to do this." Standing up with the key in his glove, he dashed toward it and dove in. But no sooner was he in the water than a previously unseen hydraulic door blocked off the manhole…

* * *

Knuckles stood up and looked around him. There was so much clutter, finding the key would be like finding a shard of the master emerald in the ocean.

"Why bother looking for a key when I can just pull this stupid thing off? When I get out of here, I'm gonna make you pay for this!" And with that, the hotheaded echidna started tugging at the belt around his waist. However, just as it was about to snap, the timer issued a tone, and the explosives issued flames and shrapnel. Before Knuckles died screaming, one last thought crossed his mind. 'How could I have failed?'

* * *

Trembling, Rouge picked up the scalpel. With the clock ticking and her only chance of survival stuck in an inopportune location, she closed her eyes and thought 'this is gonna hurt like nothing else.' Then she thrust the scalpel into her wing membrane and let out a blood-curdling scream. Whimpering, she practically ripped the key out of the now useless appendage and forced it into the lock with such force that the key broke off inside it. Removing the lock, Rouge released the clamps from her head and threw the device across the room. The second it hit the ground, the timer went off and she had to cover her now bleeding ears to keep from going deaf, for the sound was torturous even from such a distance as the device literally danced across the ground due to the intensity of the waves that it generated. After a few minutes, it finally stopped. Sobbing, Rouge collapsed to the ground. Seconds later, a gentle creaking noise issued from the shadows near the device that almost killed her. Looking up, Rouge saw the very same ventriloquist's puppet from the video, as it rode a tricycle just far enough into the room to make itself visible. Then, in the same garbled voice as before, it spoke.

"Congratulations, Rouge…you have survived…most people are so ungrateful to be alive…not you…not anymore…"

* * *

Amy had given up trying to smash the door down, as her hammer was starting to bend at the handle. Walking toward the three buttons, she wondered which one she should pick.

"Well, I don't want to hurt Sonic, but I don't want to die either. Oh, which ONE?" She looked at each one, but none of them seemed to have any distinctive qualities. Finally, she gave up trying to decide and slammed her hammer down on the center button with such force that the handle snapped, while a transparent adhesive held the hammer in place. To Amy's surprise and delight, the door opened. Not wasting a second, she dashed out, but failed to notice the trip wire in the doorframe…

* * *

Shadow couldn't believe what he had just heard. What scared him even more was the fact that he knew his captor's identity, as he had read about the man in various news articles.

"I can't believe it," he muttered. "I'm a prisoner of the man they call 'Jigsaw'!" Pausing to look around, he noticed that the walls were coated with a flammable substance, and every square foot of the room had a bottle of Nitroglycerin. "Alright, I'll play your stupid game on one condition. If I survive, I want to meet the man who captured me; FACE TO FACE!"

* * *

(Static)…One lives, another dies…what will happen to the other three? Review, if you wish to find out…(static) 


	3. more puzzles

(Static)…and so we come to our third installment…read and review…if you want to see how it ends…let the game continue…(static)

* * *

Sonic had just jumped into the water, and now the only way out was to get to the other side. Not knowing how to swim, he jumped up and kicked against the wall behind him. Doing so shot him about three quarters of the way there, but then there was the matter of getting there before he needed to come up for air walking as best he could toward the next manhole, seeing as his running speed meant nothing under the circumstances. Then, as he reached the spot just below the hole, he saw the timer next to it. In a few seconds, the door would close and he would drown.

'But I'm not gonna let that happen,' and with that, he crouched down and kicked against the bottom as hard as he could, shooting upward through the manhole and finally able to breathe again. The hydraulic door slammed shut just as his foot cleared it, followed by a loud _zap_ resounding from behind it. If Sonic hadn't made it out, not only would the exit have been blocked off, but the water would have become an aquatic superconductor. But much as he wanted to celebrate, he realized that he had to find the antidote and _fast_. Fatigue was starting to overtake him, and the blue blur's vision was starting to blur as well…

* * *

Amy felt her ankle hit the trip-wire and ducked just as a girder, with Sonic's spikes fastened to it, swung down right in the spot where her head would have been. She continued down the hallway and opened the door at the end, expecting to go outside. But alas, it led into another room, which was fully furnished and looked as though it hadn't seen the light of day in years the moment she walked in, the door slammed shut behind her, revealing another tape recorder that was attached to the doorframe. Pressing play, she heard the same raspy voice as before.

"Amy…if you are listening to this tape, then you have survived the first task…however, you're not done yet…you are currently inhaling a lethal nerve toxin...if you do not find the antidote within one hour, you will bleed from every orifice…During your search, the pieces must fit together if you wish to survive…if you value you're pitiful existence, I suggest you start searching…"

Not wasting another second, Amy immediately ran around the room looking on top of dressers, searching through cabinets, etc. However, while looking through one particular drawer, she found a piece from a Jigsaw puzzle…

* * *

Shadow gingerly picked up a bottle of nitroglycerin and examined the bottom. Finding nothing on it he placed it in the corner of the room. A few dozen bottles later, which he decided to chaos control over to the "reject pile" instead of risking life and limb unnecessarily, he finally found one with a numerical combination on it and set it next to the door. Checking the remaining bottles, he found nothing and added them to the pile. Picking up the last one, he examined the combination, which read 13, 1, 18, 9, and 1. He quickly chaos controlled the bottle over to the pile and twisted the dial on the lock accordingly. Opening the lock, he found a slip of paper with one word written on it, alphabet. And then he noticed a second set of dials that hadn't been there before. These had letters on them. Looking at the paper and remembering what numbers had been presented on the bottle; he deduced that the combination, disturbingly enough, was MARIA. Then, a panel opened with seven colored lights, each with a button underneath, and a note taped to the metal.

'Shadow, I'm almost impressed that you've made it this far. To solve the next part of the lock you must enter the lights in the correct order. You only get one chance.

Courtesy,'

And it was signed with the image of a piece from a Jigsaw puzzle…

* * *

(Static)…If you value my frequent updates, I suggest you review…those who do not appreciate updates do not deserve to have them…Do you appreciate these? Prove it…(static) 


	4. So close, yet so far

(Static)…Back again? Their fate will be decided…(static)

* * *

As far as Sonic could tell, the room was empty, but he needed that antidote. Feeling the walls, he found nothing. Then, when he didn't think it could get any worse, he collapsed to the ground, his vision having blurred to the point where he was legally blind. Still, he refused to give up. Weakly groping around on the floor, he felt something.

'The keyhole!' He reached into his glove, put the key into the opening, and opened the hidden compartment. Sure enough, the antidote was there. He picked it up and was about to inject himself, when everything went black…

* * *

Amy searched frantically for the rest of the pieces, many of which were under carpets or taped to the bottom of desk drawers. Never the less, she found them all and went about assembling them. Looking at the underside of one piece, she found that each of them contained a section of a circuit board. When it was finally finished, it portrayed the face of a disturbing ventriloquist's puppet, framed by the outline of a puzzle piece. The eyes glowed, and one of the drawers that she had left open extended further from the desk, revealing a hidden compartment with a syringe and an envelope with her name written on it. Injecting herself with the syringe, the weakness she felt from the nerve gas quickly subsided. Then, she opened the envelope, which contained a note and a keychain.

_Amy, now that you have received the antidote, you have one final task. One of the keys will open the door, but choose carefully. You only have until the antidote wears off._

_Courtesy,_

Instead of a signature, it had a piece from a Jigsaw puzzle printed on it. Wasting no time, she ran to the door and tried a key. It remained locked. She tried another one. It didn't work either. Two more keys turned out to be failures. Flipping through the chain, she found one that looked like the signature on the note.

'Could it really be that simple?' she thought. Realizing that her time was running out, she rammed the key into the lock, turned it, and squealed in delight as the door opened. After running out and closing the door behind her, she collapsed, exhausted, and thought about what she had just been through. Her thoughts were cut short however, when a monitor in the wall turned on, revealing the puppet that she had just seen on the puzzle. It then spoke to her.

"Congratulations, Amy…you are still alive…most people are so ungrateful to be alive…but not you…not anymore…"

* * *

Shadow looked at the lights and wondered what the correct order was. Then he realized that the colors matched the Chaos emeralds. Thinking back to his last adventure, when he had helped Sonic to defeat Metal Madness, he remembered the order in which the Chaos emeralds were found.

"I hope this works, green, blue, yellow, white, light blue, purple, red." The lock opened. Inside, there was an object that resembled a puzzle box that Maria had once given him, only with far fewer moving parts. The moment he picked it up, a timer started counting down from three minutes. Shadow quickly set about twisting and turning the different sections. With one second left on the timer, he solved it. The timer stopped and the walls of the compartment briefly lit up with the pictures that were on the sides of the cube; a pig mask, a ventriloquist's puppet, a girl with a rusty metal contraption clamped onto her head, a key, a syringe, and a tape recorder. Positioning the cube so that the pictures corresponded with the sides of the lock, he placed it in. The compartment then slammed shut and the door opened. Avoiding the trip wire on the other side, Shadow looked around for his captor.

"Alright, I survived! Show yourself, you coward!" Then, a speaker in the wall answered him with the same voice from the tape.

"Calm yourself, Shadow…you'll see me in due time…for now, why not have a look around? I'm sure your so-called friends are dying to see you again…"

"What? What have you done with them?" He shouted. Receiving no answer, he sped down the hall. Stopping at a door, he went inside, and saw Rouge…

* * *

(Static)…and so the story is fast approaching its end…Read and Review…(static) 


	5. Together again

(Static)…and now the puzzle shall be solved…(static)

* * *

"Rouge!" She was lying on the floor, shivering, sobbing, and bleeding profusely. Rushing to her side, Shadow wondered just what had happened to her. 'I'm going to lose her,' he thought worriedly as he lifted her head. 'Just like I lost Maria.' Suddenly, Rouge wrapped her arms around him and continued weeping on his shoulder. Returning the embrace in the hopes of comforting his injured friend, Shadow considered asking her what happened. Spotting the scalpel and the device that lay on the floor across the room, he quickly realized what she had been forced to do. Gently lifting her, he left the room to search for an exit. Turning a corner, he bumped into Amy. 

"Eek! Don't hurt me!"

"Calm down, it's just me."

"Shadow? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"I don't want to talk about it. Is that?"

"Rouge? Yes. I don't know what happened, but I'm not going to stand around and chat while she bleeds to death. You can tag along, but don't get in the way."

* * *

A few forks, dead ends, and wrong turns later, they were getting frustrated. Then, Amy peered into a room and saw a particularly gruesome sight. 

"Shadow!"

"What!" Between the seemingly endless hallways, Rouge, and the pink hedgehog's frequent distractions, the ultimate life form was losing his patience. "How are we supposed to get out of here if you keep stopping every ten minutes!"

"But it's important! I think that's Knuckles in there!"

"What?" Not wasting another second, Shadow ran into the room and almost dropped Rouge when he saw what was left of the echidna. Everything between his shoulders and knees had been blown apart, his innards spattered all over the cluttered room. His head was the only part of him that was still intact. "What on earth did he do to deserve this?" Rouge, who had been listening the whole time, squirmed her way out of Shadow's hands and stumbled over to the remains of her former rival. Picking up his head in her hands, she broke down completely; Amy soon joined her. As the two girls mourned the loss of their friend, the former caressing the head in her arms, Shadow looked on, wishing that he could have done something.

'I didn't know him that well, but Rouge—huh?' His thoughts were cut short when he noticed the cassette recorder lying on the ground. It was slightly charred, but still intact. Shadow quickly rewound the tape and pressed the play button.

"Rise and shine, Knuckles…you are the last of your race and have sworn to protect the Master Emerald from harm…but if you're so intent on protecting it, then why do you let it slip through your fingers so easily? A treasure hunter who can't protect his most valuable treasure, how sickening…" Upon hearing the garbled voice speak such words, Rouges grief turned to anger. "Let's see if you value your pitiful life as little as you seem to value that gem…the belt you're wearing is loaded with explosives…find the key before time runs out, or your body will match your temper…" Then, as if on cue, a small object fell from Knuckles' tattered dreadlocks. The key had been there from the start.

* * *

After Rouge finished cursing at—and stomping on—the cassette player, the three of them resumed their search for an exit. Shadow carried Rouge, who had refused to leave without Knuckles' head, while Amy tried to comfort her. As they walked, Shadow paused at a room that still had the lights on. 

"Shadow, why are we stopping?" asked Amy. Rather than answering, Shadow quietly opened the door and peered inside. The room was littered with numerous video monitors, papers, and a few contraptions that he couldn't even begin to identify. "Shadow?"

"It looks like he's gone, for now." He answered, while sitting Rouge in an armchair. "Amy, see if you can find something to set Rouge's wing while I try to find a map of this place." While Amy busied herself with Rouge, Shadow started flipping through the various papers that were lying around, occasionally glancing at the monitors. One of the pages that he picked up had a blueprint that looked similar to the device from the room where he had found Rouge. 'No way,' he thought as he studied the print more closely. 'That explains Rouge's wing, and if this is here…' he furiously rummaged through the various prints and notes until he found the ones for his own trap, as well as that of Knuckles, 'the wires connecting the explosives ran through the belt itself, and since none of the junk in that room was touched, that would mean…damn.' Then he found one that was designed for… "Amy, come take a look at this! I think Sonic might be here too!"

"Sonic? Where?" Within seconds she was standing next to him with a hopeful look in her eyes. The blueprint in question portrayed two rooms, linked by what looked like a sewer pipe. There was also a power module linking the inside of the pipe to one of three large buttons in an adjoining room…"Wait a minute, that's the room that I woke up in! And if that was connected to—Oh my god, I could have killed him!"

"Or yourself; you're lucky that you didn't hit that one with the exposed wire sticking out of it."

Suddenly, Rouge pointed to a monitor and shouted, "Guys, come here, I think I found him!" The two hedgehogs rushed over to see what she was pointing at. On the screen, Sonic was sprawled on the floor and was about to inject himself with a syringe, when his head drooped and he went unconscious. Just before the syringe clattered to the ground, the blue blur uttered the word "antidote". Shadow looked around until he found a pair of cellular phones.

"I'm going to look for him, but I need one of you to direct me there," he said as he handed one to Rouge, since Amy was in tears. "If you hear someone coming before I get back, hide." And with that, he dashed out the door.

* * *

After a few minutes, Shadow found the room where Sonic was trapped. Forcing the door open, he ran to sonic and put a hand on the blue hedgehog's forehead. 'He's burning up!' Pulling one of Sonic's arms over his shoulder, Shadow hoisted him off the ground, stopping only to answer his cell phone. 

"Shadow! The pipe that sonic swam through was filled with poison!"

"Rouge, Sonic said something about an antidote before he passed out."

"Hang on," There was a rustling noise, and then Rouge continued. "The antidote is in the syringe!"

"Got it!" Shadow picked up the syringe and injected Sonic with it. 'Don't die on me now, Faker.'

* * *

When Shadow finally got back, Sonic was still unconscious, but his forehead was no longer hot to the touch. Amy found some blankets and spread them on the floor for Sonic to rest on. 

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked with watery eyes.

"I don't know," Shadow hung his head. "I think I should tell you guys who did this to us…"

* * *

"…And that's about as much as I know." While Rouge and Amy paused to let Shadow's words sink in, Sonic stirred. Amy was the first to notice. 

"Sonic?"

"Ohhh…wha, what happened?"

"Sonic!" Before the blue blur knew what hit him, Amy's arms were around his neck. "Oh Sonic, thank goodness you're alright!" She was about to kiss him when Shadow yanked her away. "What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Amy, Sonic was literally swimming through poison. Unless you have a death wish, I suggest you try to restrain yourself." While Sonic regained his senses, as well as the ability to move his limbs, the others filled him in on what had happened. It wasn't until they finished that Sonic noticed Knuckles' head.

"Um, guys? What's that?" Rouge turned away, tears forming in her eyes. "Wait a minute, that looks like—"

"It is," Shadow said, cutting him off. "Or was…"

* * *

Watching the four of them on a monitor, John chuckled to himself. 

"Time for the final test," he said, and started pressing buttons on a keypad.

* * *

As the four friends rested, the lights, monitors, etc. suddenly flickered off. As they looked around in confusion, one of the monitors turned back on, showing the ventriloquist's puppet from before. Turning to them, it spoke in a voice that was all too familiar. 

"So, you have managed to survive…now you must face one final challenge…find a way out of the labyrinth…there are ways to win this…hidden all around you…but watch your step…hurry, you have until six on the clock…let the game begin…"

* * *

(Static)…and so they play right into his hands…Read and Review…(static) 


	6. Game Over

(Static)…This is the final countdown…(static)

* * *

As if the four of them hadn't been through enough, Jigsaw presented them with yet another challenge. They had until six, and it was currently half past noon. After a few minutes, Sonic broke the silence.

"Well, if he wants us to leave, I'm not complaining, let's go!" Just as he was about to run out the door, Shadow caught him by the arm. "Hey Shadow, what gives? We have to leave!"

"Have you learned nothing? If you try to navigate the halls, you'll just end up getting lost. Besides, judging from everything that's happened, the exit is probably somewhere in this room."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I'm not, but we won't get anywhere if we wander around aimlessly."

"Well, I'm taking my chances," Sonic answered as he reached for the doorknob. "Besides, with speed like mine, what could possibly happen?" Opening the door, Sonic literally had to bend over backward as a large circular saw blade shot across the doorway, missing him by mere inches. "On second thought, I vote Shadow's idea."

"I knew something like this would happen. Spread out, there has to be something in this room that'll show us the exit."

* * *

After about an hour of flipping through blueprints without success, they decided to search through the various devices that adorned the worktables. Amy came across one device that was clamped onto the head of a mannequin.

"I wonder what this does," she said as she picked it up, unwittingly detaching the wire that connected it to the table. Holding it at eye level, she noticed that it was hooked into the area where a person's jaw would be. Then it dawned on her. "It's supposed to—!" She was interrupted as the device suddenly gave a short "clink" and snapped open, shattering the mannequin's head like it was glass. Just as the now wide-eyed Amy was about to toss the "reverse bear trap" away, she noticed a small envelope wedged in the clamps.

"Guys, I think I found something!" Removing the envelope from the device, they read the note inside.

_The only way out is to look within. There is a door in the room that leads to salvation, but to glimpse your freedom could lead to your doom._

_Courtesy,_

And it was signed with the puzzle piece from before. Looking through the envelope, they found two keys. Wasting no time, they searched for the door.

* * *

They'd been searching for hours and their time was almost up. Sonic was getting impatient.

"How hard could it possibly be to find—wait a minute," before anybody could ask what he was doing, Sonic had pried the carpet from the floor. "Come on, where—YES, I knew it!" There was a keyhole in the floor. Next to it was what looked like a small peephole (the little circular window that allows you to see who's on the other side of the door before you open it, for those of you whose age is greater than your maturity). Peering inside, he saw nothing, but as he was about to put the key inside, Shadow stopped him. "What's up?"

"Stand aside, I don't trust it." Putting the key in the hole, Shadow turned it, and was met by the sound of a gun firing, while plaster rained down from the ceiling. If any of them had been standing over it, death would have been instant. "I didn't think it would be that easy." He removed the key and put the other one in. This time the door opened. On the other side was a dimly lit passage, which led under the numerous halls of the labyrinth. Once inside, the four of them contemplated whether this was another trap. The razor wire that littered the passage confirmed their suspicions. Suddenly, an eerily familiar squeaking noise met their ears. Rouge, still toting Knuckles' head, nearly dropped it when she saw the source. It was the puppet from before, riding the same rusty tricycle. Once again, it spoke in that garbled voice.

"So…you have managed to escape…if you value your lives, find a path through the razor wire…" They turned to search for an opening. "Not you, Shadow…" The black hedgehog stopped to look behind him. "Remember our little bargain? You may leave…after we have met…face to face…or did you forget? Just like you forgot about your precious Maria…" Fuming, Shadow made up his mind.

"You three can go on without me. I've got some unfinished business to take care of…"

* * *

Peering into the monitor, John couldn't help but chuckle at how quickly the hedgehog was falling into his hands. "And to think, I had hopes for that one." He turned to his apprentice. "Amanda, if anything should happen to me, you will continue my work."

"I promise," she answered, looking at a picture of a certain purple chameleon. "You won't be disappointed."

"What information have you gathered about our next contender?"

"His name is Espio. He is egotistical, self obsessed," she paused. "And claustrophobic."

"Perfect, but let's worry about that later. I want you in position." She stepped into the closet, donning the pig mask. "Be ready, we've got a visitor to welcome." As if on cue, Shadow burst through the door. "Ah, right on schedule."

"So you're the one behind all this, huh?"

"You were expecting Dr. Eggman?"

"No more games." Shadow began to walk forward. "I'm going to finish this once and for all!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why should I care what you would do?"

"Simple, if you come anywhere near me, I will trip the failsafe on the razor wire, which will cause it to coil upon itself, slicing your friends to ribbons."

"You mean _this_ failsafe?" Shadow held up the component from John's computer that would trigger the trap, before crushing it between his fingers. Glancing at the monitor, John discovered that it, and every other electronic device surrounding it, was totaled. When he looked up, Shadow was standing not two feet from him.

"But how? Without a chaos emerald—"

"I don't need one anymore. You've taken too many innocent lives—"

"Innocent? Don't make me laugh. Take Paul, he had it all, money, a career, a family, and what did he do? He tried to throw it all away."

"What?"

"And what about Mark? He was on his feet quite often for someone with a terminal illness, probably because he didn't have one in the first place; and he knew it."

"Two people? You think that justifies—"

"And don't forget Adam and Dr. Gordon. One cheated on his loving wife, and the other profited from it. And need I remind you about Zep Hindle and Detective Tapp? Tell me, does any of that sound innocent to you, Shadow?"

"But nobody deserves what you've put them through!"

"Oh, really?" John chuckled inwardly as Shadow unwittingly started backing toward the closet. "They do, Shadow. You and I both know it. So what are you going to do now? Are you going to run away from your problems, like you always do? Sooner or later, you'll trap yourself in a corner. When that day comes, I'll be waiting. But watch your back, Shadow." At this point, Shadow was almost close enough that Amanda could inject him with the tranquilizer. "That day may come sooner than you think." Amanda then swung the closet door open and made a dash at Shadow. But no sooner was the needle about to break skin, than he Chaos controlled behind her, grabbing the syringe from her hand and stabbing her in the back with it. With Amanda out of the way, Shadow went for John, who had made for the door while the hedgehog was distracted. Turning a corner, he ran full force into the outstretched fist of a very pissed off ultimate life form.

"Not this time, you sick freak."

"I am sick, Shadow; sick from this disease that's eating away at me from the inside; sick of those who do not appreciate their blessings; sick of those who scoff at the weaknesses of others." He unsheathed a blade from within his cloak. "I'm sick of it all!" Shadow caught his arm just as the blade was about to connect. Tossing the weapon aside, Shadow picked up his former captor by the throat.

"Is that so? Well guess what. I'm sick too; sick of being hunted for merely being what I am; sick of being plagued by the memory of Maria's death; sick of losing my friends to heartless slime balls like you!" He then threw John to the ground, and with fire in his eyes, Shadow uttered the last words that the Jigsaw killer would ever hear, "Chaos…BLAST!"

* * *

Two months later, everybody had just finished recovering from their near-death experiences. When Tails and Cream heard what their friends had been through, they did everything in their power to comfort them. Sonic had called a temporary truce with Eggman, proposing that they sort their differences through negotiation, rather than fighting. Rouge had sold her fight club and relocated to Angel Island, taking over Knuckles' job as guardian of the Master Emerald, while the echidna's remains were buried at the foot of the alter. Amy had resolved to be less clingy and to let Sonic decide if and when he was ready to be with her. Shadow, once he managed to escape from the labyrinth, contacted the Chaotix; he had caught sight of a picture of Espio and decided not to take any chances. When that was done, he traveled to the G.U.N. Headquarters, and turned himself in.

* * *

(Static)…Game over…(static) 


End file.
